What were the causes of the March Revolution?

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The March Revolution, more commonly referred to as the Russian Revolution of 1917, was the result of discontent over low wages and high taxes brought on by previous Russian war involvement. One war that cost Russia millions of lives and a great deal of money was WWI, which is said to be the main cause of the revolution.

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During the winters of 1916 and 1917, while Russia was involved in WWI, those who were not involved in the fighting found themselves in short supply of both food and fuel. Due to the lack of food and the extreme cold, discontent among the citizens reached a boiling point. On March 4, 1917, workers at the Putilov engineering factory, which was one of the largest factories in Petrograd, demanded a 50 percent increase in wages so they could afford to buy food. The management of the factory refused, and the workers went on strike, which is one of the first major events of the revolution.

By November 1917, the revolution brought the royal family of Russia to its knees and paved the way for communists. Knowing that there were still people in Russia who would fight to reinstate royalty, the new government executed all of the remaining royal family members so no one could fight in their honor.